Friedrich Merz’s Failed Quest to Be a New Angela Merkel

Friedrich Merz’s Failed Quest to Be a New Angela Merkel

Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, increasingly pitches himself as a pragmatist akin to Angela Merkel. But his mantra of stable leadership has its limits, with the far right on the rise and Germany beset by dismal economic prospects. Friedrich Merz speaking to the media on March 3, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images) Friedrich Merz is Germany’s new chancellor — head of government in Europe’s largest economy, but likely…